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1. Fishing Permits and General Fishing Season
a. Fishing Permits: Anyone 12 years of age or older must have a valid
Yellowstone National Park fishing permit to fish in the park. A fishing permit is valid
only if signed by the permittee. A permit fee is charged for anyone 16 years of age or
older. Children 11 years of age or younger may fish without a permit when supervised by an
adult. The adult is responsible for the child's actions.
b. Park Rangers may check permits, inspect tackle and fish, and inspect creels and/or
other containers where fish tackle may be stored.
c. General Fishing Season in Yellowstone National Park is open each
day from 5 am to 10 pm, beginning on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through and
including the first Sunday in November. There are several area-specific exceptions to the general opening dates.
2. General Tackle and Bait Restrictions
a. Each angler may use only one rod or line, which must be held in
hand.
b. Only artificial lures and flies may be used. No natural or organic
bait such as salmon eggs, worms, insects, or foodstuffs is allowed. Scented attractants
are illegal.
c. Lures may have only one hook. The hook may have a single, double or
treble configuration. No fish snagging is allowed.
d. Flies may have only one hook with a single point. Up to two flies may be
used on a single leader.
e. Leaded fishing tackle such as leaded split-shot sinkers, weighted
jigs (lead molded to a hook), and soft lead-weighted ribbon for nymph fishing are not
allowed.
3. General Size and Possession Limits
a. Size and possession limits vary by species and area. The maximum number of
fish an angler can keep is five per day (not counting lake trout from Yellowstone or Heart
Lakes, or brook trout from Pocket Lake) of which at least three must be brook trout. An
angler must cease fishing immediately after filling his/her possession limit except on
Yellowstone Lake (See area-specific regulation B, 1.g.).
Possession limits include all fish, whether fresh, stored in freezer/ice chests or
otherwise preserved.
b. Fish that do not meet the specified size restrictions must be
returned carefully and immediately to the waters from which they were taken.
Unintentionally killed fish should also be returned to the water so that they can be
consumed by wildlife. It is the responsibility of the angler to be able to measure
fish lengths and to identify fish by species.
4. General Closures: No fishing from any road bridge or boat dock.
5. Boat and Float Tube Regulations: A Boat Permit is required of all
types of vessels. (Float tubes are classified as vessels. They are not allowed on
any river or stream in Yellowstone except the Lewis River between Lewis and Shoshone
Lakes.) Boat Permits must be obtained in person at any of the following
locations: South Entrance, Lewis Lake Campground, Grant Village Backcountry Office, Bridge
Bay Marina and Lake Ranger Station. Non-motorized permits only may be obtained at Mammoth
Backcountry Office, Canyon Backcountry Office, Northeast Entrance, and Bechler Ranger
Station. Fees are charged for both motorized and non-motorized boat permits. |
